Storm door latch with integral lock



Feb. 4, 1969 w. s. TURNER 3,425,728

STORM DOOR LATCH WITH INTEGRAL LOCK Filed Feb. 15, 1967 2 FIG. 4

30 INVENTOR. WALTER S. TURNER ATTORNEY United States Patent" Office 3,425,728 Patented Feb. 4, 1969 3,425,728 STORM DOOR LATCH WITH INTEGRAL LOCK Walter S. Turner, North Jackson, Ohio, assignor to Lake Park Tool & Die, Inc., Youngstown, Ohio Filed Feb. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 616,331 US. Cl. 292-153 Int. Cl. Ec 1/04, 1/12 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a storm door latch with an integral locking mechanism and more particularly, to a storm door latch that may be manufactured and assembled from a relatively few parts at a low cost, to provide a good looking efliciently operating highly practical latch mechanism forstorm doors and the like.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a storm door latch with an integral lock taking the form of a locking rotor, including integral oppositely disposed flexible arms acting as spring urged means holding the rotor in predetermined locations. A further object of the invention is the provision of a storm door latch with an integral lock incorporating an assembly of a very few parts in a housing arranged to hold the parts in assembly when assembled, due to the distortable and/or resilient characteristics of some of said parts.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a storm door latch with an integral lock that may be quickly and easily assembled and installed on a storm door or the like, and which will operate eifectively for its intended purpose for a long period of time, and with little likelihood of wear or breakage.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a back elevation of the storm door latch showing the moving parts thereof relative to a fixed housing.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section on line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the storm door latch.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detailed end elevation of a locking rotor seen in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawrngs.

By referring to the drawings, and FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be seen that a housing 10, which has a forwardly projecting portion 11, from which a shield-shaped stationary handle 12 projects sidewardly. The handle 12 is slotted longitudinally as at 13. Upper and lower openings 14 in the body member provide means for mounting the storm door latch on a storm door.

By referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, which is a back plan view, it will be observed that a movable handle member 15 having oppositely disposed pivotal extensions 16 is positioned with the pivotal extensions 16 in caged relation in confining configurations 17 formed in the housing 10. The movable handle 15 has an elongated curved arm 18 thereon, a majority of which registers with the slot 13 in the stationary handle 12 heretofore described, and as best seen in FIGURE 3 of the drawings. By referring thereto it will be seen that the movable handle 15 also has a recess 19 therein, spaced with respect to the oppositely disposed pivotal extensions 16 and the arm 18, and adapted to engage a projection 20 on a bolt 21 which is slidably positioned in the extension 11 of the housing 10 and normally urged in a direction sidew-ardly of the housing extension 11 by a spring 22.

It will thus be observed that the movable handle member 15 is normally positioned in a first location, as seen in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, by the engagement of the recess 19 therein on the extension 20 of the bolt 21, which in turn is urged to a first position by the spring 22. It will also be seen that when the arm 18 of the movable handle member 15 is moved relative to the fixed handle 12, through the slot 13 thereof, it will pivot on the pivotal extension 16 and move the bolt 21 so as to retract the spring 22 and thus move the movable handle 15 and the bolt 21 to second positions;

By referring now to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that a locking rotor 23 is positioned in the housing 10 alongside the pivotal extensions 16 on the movable handle member 15, and with its axis on a right angle relative to said pivotal extensions 16. The configuration of the locking rotor 23 includes a cutaway side area 24, as best seen in FIGURE 1 of the drawings and in FIGURE 5 of the ,drawings, which is an enlarged end elevation of the locking rotor 23. The cutaway portion 24 is arranged so that when the locking rotor 23 is in a first position, as seen in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a secondary arm 25 positioned on the movable handle member 15 and extending oppositely with respect to the arm 18, ,is movable in a. plane parallel to the axis of the locking; rotor 23, and in the cutaway area 24 thereof. Still referring to FIGURES 1 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that when the locking rotor 23 is rotated from the shoulder position illustrated, a portion 26 of the locking rotor 23 will move in under the secondary arm 25 so as to prevent motion of the secondary arm 25 and therefore prevent motion of the movable handle member 15 which would act to move the bolt 21. Means for moving the locking rotor 23 from one position to the other as above described, is provided and comprises a lever 27 which has a right angle end portion positioned immediately below the extension 11 of the housing 10, as best seen in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. In order that the locking rotor 23 may be retained in either of the two positions just described, it incorporates a pair of oppositely disposed arcuate spring arms 28, each of which has an enlarged outwardly extending end portion 29, as best seen in the enlarged detail of the locking rotor comprising FIGURE 5 of the drawings.

The housing 10 is provided with registering configurations, as seen in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, so that when locking rotor 23 is rotated by the lever 27 these spring arms 28 snap in and out of registry with the configurations in the housing 10 and thus serve to hold the locking rotor in one or the other of its two locations. It will thus be seen that in one of the locations as above described, the locking rotor 23 permits movement of the movable handle member 15 and the similar movement of the bolt 21 so that the storm door latch is operable. In the other of its two positions the locking rotor 23 prevents relative motion of the secondary arm 25 of the movable handle 15 and thereby prevents motion of the bolt 21, thus holding the same in locked position.

The locking rotor 23 is held in the body member by an enlarged end portion 30 on the lever 27, which distorts when passed through an opening 31 in the body member 10 so as to then engage against the opposite side of the body member and thus hold the locking rotor 23 in the assembly.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the locking rotor will of necessity be formed of a material possessing the capability of being distorted and the resiliency enabling it to properly operate with respect to the oppositely disposed spring arms 28 as just described. One such suitable material is nylon, and the locking rotor may be effectively and economically molded therefrom.

It will thus be seen that the storm door latch with an integral lock as disclosed herein, comprises a relatively simple inexpensive construction meeting the several objects of the invention, and that it possesses the unique ability of providing a simple and foolproof lock mechanism which is easily assembled, and wherein the locking rotor 23 with its integral spring arms 28 comprises the principal novelty. The simple, effectively operating locking mechanism made possible by the same therefore meets all of the objects of the invention. It will occur to those skilled in the art that the locking rotor with its integral spring arms may be used in various applications not limited to storm door latches, and having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A storm door latch with integral lock comprising a housing including means for mounting the same on a storm door, or the like, a fixed slotted handle extending outwardly from said housing, and a movable handle member pivoted in said housing and having an arm thereof registering with said slotted fixed handle of said housing for movement relative thereto, a bolt reciprocally mounted in said housing, and means on said movable handle engaging said bolt for imparting movement thereto, means for locking said movable handle and said bolt in two predetermined positions, said means including a resilient locking rotor rotatably positioned in said housing adjacent to said movable handle and having a shoulder portion engaging 'a portion of said movable handle in a first position to prevent relative motion thereof, and in a second position said shoulder portion including a portion spaced with respect to said portion of said handle to permit relative motion thereof, said housing having configurations adjacent said locking rotor and said rotor having integral oppositely disposed arcuate spring arms each having an enlarged radially outwardly extending end portion adapted to snap into and out of registry with said configurations in said housing so as to hold said rotor in said different positions.

2. The storm door latch set forth in claim 1, and wherein said locking rotor includes a lever extending outwardly therefrom by means of which said rotor may be moved, said lever having an offset end portion positioned through an opening in said housing so as to be movable from the exterior of said housing.

3. The storm door latch set forth in claim 1, and wherein said locking rotor includes a lever extending outwardly therefrom by means of which said rotor may be moved, said lever having an offset end portion positioned through an opening in said housing so as to be movable from the exterior of said housing; said offset portion of said lever being larger than said opening in said housing, so that said offset portion must be distorted when moved therethrough, said offset portion arranged to engage said housing adjacent said opening to hold said rotor in said housing.

4. The storm door latch set forth in claim 3 and wherein said locking rotor is formed of resilient distortable plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,478,247 8/1949 Conley 292l73 2,819,603 1/1958 Levine -74 2,847,240 8/1958 Stone et al. 29270 3,147,608 9/1964 Turner et a1 292l73 X 3,240,039 3/1966 Baermann 70-71 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

J. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 292l73 

